Kerala’s advanced position in terms of literacy levels, educational achievements and other social indicators is well known. However, regarding higher education, the state displays less impressive development. The article first provides a brief overview of Kerala’s school education scenario as a base for higher education and then examines issues of access and equity related to higher education in Kerala. The findings suggest that four socio-economically backward northern districts of the state, partly facing a vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy, appear to be responsible for holding the entire state back in the rankings of present development indicators. A set of recommendations to strengthen the access and equity pillars of higher education in Kerala concludes this article, together with some comments on the relevance of vocational rather than purely academic education.

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喀拉拉邦的高等教育：发展、公平和入学问题

喀拉拉邦在识字水平、教育成就和其他社会指标方面的领先地位是众所周知的。然而，在高等教育方面，国家表现出的发展不那么令人印象深刻。本文首先简要概述了喀拉拉邦作为高等教育基础的学校教育情景，然后探讨了与喀拉拉邦高等教育相关的入学和公平问题。调查结果表明，该州北部的四个社会经济落后地区，部分面临贫困和文盲的恶性循环，似乎是导致整个州在当前发展指标排名中落后的原因。本文总结了一系列加强喀拉拉邦高等教育机会和公平支柱的建议，